Happy birthday, Hartwell Lake

ANDERSON - Noah Singleton didn't know he shared a birthday with a lake.

He turned 13 the same day that Hartwell Lake turned 50.

The lake has several birthdays — from when it began construction to when it was finished. But officials from the lake's parents — the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — decided to have a birthday party Saturday, 50 years and one day after the dam began to pump out electricity for the first time.

Noah's mother, Stephanie, remembers the first time she laid eyes on the dam that her family helped to build.

She was 3 or 4 years old and her grandfather, who was constructing an overlook near the dam, showed her the vista.

"It's been a part of my whole life," she said, "since we were kids."

Jayme Singleton, Noah's father, said spending the day at a picnic table celebrating his son's birthday reminded him of why the lake is so important.

"I think we're going to have to spend all of our weekends here," he said.

The Singletons spent the whole day Saturday at Big Oaks Recreation Area near Hartwell, where the birthday activities for the lake included a hot air balloon, wakeboard demonstrations and, of course, birthday cake.

Organizers and lake boosters call it the "Golden Damiversary."

Larry Torrence, Lake Hartwell Marketing Alliance director, said the use of "dam" dates back to those who were around when it was built and the city of Hartwell adopted "The Best City by a Dam Site" as its slogan.

He said any offense at the use of the word should be directed to the 1960s but that the dam and lake are so important they need to be celebrated.

A parade of people, led by a marching band, walked across the dam Saturday as the sun set.

The Saturday birthday party isn't the end to the celebration — it was the sixth of at least 50 events planned this year to honor the lake and the dam. The events are scattered throughout the six counties and two states that touch the lake, although population centers Anderson and Hartwell have more events than the other cities and areas.

Fifty fish from various species and parts of the lake were caught and released last week with tags containing a phone number. Torrence said people were doubtful that any of the fish would be caught and turned in for the Hartwell Lake memorabilia prize, but someone caught the first fish Thursday.

George Gray remembers fishing in the same place, which was Savannah River before it became Hartwell Lake.

George Gray remembers his uncle taking him to go "graveling" in what used to be the Savannah River, using his hands to pull up large fish by the mouth.

"It was a wild river back then," he said.

His wife, Barbara Gray, saw the dam in eighth grade, peeking at the electricity-generating turbines before they began to turn.

The two have camped, skied and fished in the lake for decades.

Taking in the quiet moments on the lake now, George Gray said it was a great decision to create it so many years ago.

Allen Teasley was one of the thousands of people who helped to build the dam.

He gazed Saturday across the lake he helped bring to life.

"We learned to swim in the Savannah River," Teasley said. "I'm proud of what I was part of."